
Team of the Week: 2023 Talent League – Round 1
THE COATES Talent League boys season got underway on the weekend, with a bumper eight games stretched evenly across Saturday and Sunday. It made it tough to squeeze the raft of top performances into the Round 1 Team of the Week, though there is plenty of quality in the squad of 24. Gippsland Power (five […]

Snapshot: 2023 Coates Talent League – Round 1
IT was an ideal weekend for home sides in the Coates Talent League, which kicked off with a bumper eight-game opening round on Saturday. All eight hosts joined the winners list in Round 1 as the Northern Academies jetted south to take on Victorian counterparts. We recap all the action in a snapshot.

SEASON GUIDE | 2023 Coates Talent League
THE 2023 Coates Talent League season is set to get underway tomorrow, with eight games filling out a bumper opening round. Along with the 13 full-time regions, five northern academies will take part throughout the year, meaning plenty of fresh and familiar faces are set to take centre stage. We run you through all you […]

Stingrays set high standards in search of next step
HIGH standards are what the Dandenong Stingrays are hoping will help them go one better in 2023, after last year’s run to the Coates Talent League grand final. Amid the hurt of a loss in the last game of the season, there are plenty of silver linings for the program’s promising top-age crop to take. […]

Coates Talent League prospects set for preseason testing
COATES Talent League prospects are set to be put through their paces on Saturday, as all 12 Victorian regions convene for their annual preseason testing event. Under the guidance of Rookie Me, athletes will participate in three vertical jump tests, a 20m sprint, agility test, and yo-yo test. >> FIXTURE: 2023 Coates Talent League Clubs […]

Coates Talent League officially launched
AUSTRALIA’s premier AFL talent pathway has undergone its third rebrand, with the official launch of the Coates Talent League today. Set to enter its 32nd year in 2023, the competition started out as the Victorian State Football League (VSFL) in 1992, before perhaps being most famously known as the TAC Cup, and most recently the […]

2023 NAB League coaching changes
NAB LEAGUE regions in Victoria and Tasmania have all but completed their coaching appointments for 2023, after it was announced that roles would again been split between girls and boys teams. The move comes as part of the AFL’s commitment to boosting resources in the girls’ talent pathway, with all regions now having dedicated full-time […]

Scouting Notes: 2022 NAB League Grand Final
SANDRINGHAM Dragons took out the 2022 NAB League premiership on Friday evening, downing the Dandenong Stingrays by 43 points at Ikon Park. With some of this year’s prime AFL Draft prospects taking the field, there was plenty to jot down in the latest edition of Scouting Notes. >> Match Report: Sandringham Dragons 14.10 (94) def. […]

Dragons take the sting out of ‘Rays in epic Grand Final performance
SANDRINGHAM Dragons have won the 2022 NAB League premiership, claiming the competition’s first flag since 2019. The Metro side was far too strong for local rival, Dandenong Stingrays, running out 43-point victors atop a greasy Ikon Park deck on Friday evening. The Dragons’ engine room wreaked havoc from the opening bounce, dominating the contest against […]

Preview | 2022 NAB League Grand Final: Dandenong Stingrays vs. Sandringham Dragons
THE 2022 NAB League Grand Final is set to go down on Friday evening, as local rivals Dandenong Stingrays and Sandringham Dragons lock horns at Ikon Park. Having advanced past last week’s preliminary finals, the two sides meet in a matchup between the third and eighth-ranked regions. A bunch of AFL Draft prospects are set […]

Scouting Notes: 2023 Coates Talent League Girls – Round 2
PLAYERS are hitting their stride in the Coates Talent League, and there were many impressive performances across Round 2. In the four games this past weekend, both Sydney-based academies notched wins, as did the GWV Rebels and Dandenong Stingrays for the first time this season. We highlight some of the top performers in our Scouting […]

“Fitter” Butterworth keen to make impact
WHILE many people might have been digging in around the dining table over the Christmas break, Dandenong Stingrays forward Sophie Butterworth was digging in out on the track. The top-age forward came back to preseason training by her own admission “struggling”, so she set herself a goal of changing that over the Summer break and […]

Over-age quartet set for Round 1
FOUR over-age players returning to the Coates Talent League in 2023 will be looking to impress across the opening few rounds ahead of the 2023 AFLW Over-age Draft, before setting their sights on a third chance at the year’s end all-in draft. At the recent Preseason Testing Day, we spoke to Dandenong Stingrays duo Felicity […]

Stingrays focussed on individual development in 2023
DANDENONG Stingrays girls coach Josh Moore has his sights set on heavy individual development in 2023, as he transitions from assistant to head mentor. The ‘Rays are coming off an unbeaten home-and-away campaign last year and while amending their upset Grand Final loss would be “great”, Moore maintains that is not the region’s core objective. […]

AFLW Academy Rays eye off role changes
DANDENONG Stingrays duo Mikayla Williamson and Bianca Lyne have played very different roles in years gone by, but both could cross paths at the stoppages this season. The AFL Women’s Academy members mostly played wing and ruck respectively, but after chatting to the duo at the Coates Talent League Preseason Testing Day, the pair highlighted […]

Rays’ Ramsdale ready to lead in 2023
LEARNING off the recently drafted Mackenzie Eardley, Dandenong Stingrays defender Jemma Ramsdale will now take Eardley’s reins of both the backline, and Rays’ captaincy. The rebounding tall said while she wished she was the same height as the 181cm Eardley, Ramsdale was still able to adapt plenty into her game. “It’s (last season) set me […]

2023 Preseason Testing Top 10s – Coates Talent League Girls
ALL 12 Victorian Talent League Girls regions convened at Narrandjeri Stadium on Sunday to partake in their annual preseason testing event, under the eye of Rookie Me. Up to 35 Under 18 athletes from each squad underwent a range of physical tests; from vertical jumps, to sprints and endurance running. >> SCROLL for all top 10 results […]

Coates Talent League officially launched
AUSTRALIA’s premier AFL talent pathway has undergone its third rebrand, with the official launch of the Coates Talent League today. Set to enter its 32nd year in 2023, the competition started out as the Victorian State Football League (VSFL) in 1992, before perhaps being most famously known as the TAC Cup, and most recently the […]

2023 NAB League coaching changes
NAB LEAGUE regions in Victoria and Tasmania have all but completed their coaching appointments for 2023, after it was announced that roles would again been split between girls and boys teams. The move comes as part of the AFL’s commitment to boosting resources in the girls’ talent pathway, with all regions now having dedicated full-time […]

2022 AFLW U18s team review: Vic Country
AFTER going undefeated in last year’s AFL Women’s Under 19 Championships, Vic Country ended up going through 2022 without a victory. The Country side had a couple of heavy losses to Vic Metro (53 points) and South Australia (92) before pushing Queensland but eventually going down by 11. We take a look at some of […]